MAP Background Information provided
| Name: | Bernard T. Cotter | ||||
| Address: | 2070 Pioneer Court | ||||
| San Mateo, CA 94403-2070 | |||||
| Telephone: | (650) 572-7933 | Fax: | (650) 572-0834 | ||
| Email: | bcotter@mcdlawyers.net | ||||
| Fees: | $250 per hour | ||||
| Other Costs: | None. No minimum, set-up or cancellation fees. | ||||
| BAR Number: | 0030653 | ||||
| Attorney: x | Non-Attorney Professional Mediator/Arbitrator: Retired Judge/Justice: | ||||
| Mediation Experience: | |
| Mediation Training: | |
| Arbitration Experience: | Began arbitrating uninsured motor vehicles cases in 1960. A court-appointed judicial arbitrator since 1976. |
| Neutral Evaluation Background: | Have been evaluating civil cases of all kinds for over 44 years. have served as a pro tem settlement conference judge for over 10 years. |
| Settlement Conference Experience: | |
| Subject | Personal Injury: | x | Employment: | x | Business: | x | Real Estate: | x |
| Matter: | Legal Malpractice: | x | Public Agency: | x | Probate: | Construction: | x | |
| Medical Malpractice: | Environmental: | Insurance: | x | Securities: | ||||
| Product Liability: | x | Landlord-Tenant / Neighborhood: | Dental Malpractice: | |||||
| Foreign Language(s): | Intellectual Property/High Technology: | |||||||
| Accoutings: | Conservatorships/Guardianships: | Wills/Trusts: | ||||||
| Other: | ||||||||
| Other Education: |
B.S. from University of San Francisco in 1955, J.D. from University of San Francisco in 1958, various MCLE courses. |
| Mediation Approach: |
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| Arbitration Approach: |
Formal, facilitative, calming. Put parties at ease give them time to tell their stories. Rule on objections. Devote as much time to the case as necessary. Usually provide a written opinion. |
| Neutral Approach: |
Disregard insurance, reverse the parties, establish a range, sift through the range to arrive at a defensible figure. |
| Other Information: |
Engaged in active practice for over 45 years. Trial over 140 civil jury cases. Countless court trials, arbitrations, settlement conferences |
| Brief Thumbnail: |
Bernard T. Cotter, a resident of San Mateo County since 1956: B.S. degree from University of San Francisco; J.D. degree from University of San Francisco School of Law. Admitted to California State Bar and the U.S. District Court in 1960; admitted to the U. S. Supreme Court in 1970. Member of the San Mateo County Bar Assn., California Association of Defense Counsel, Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a practicing attorney since 1960, over 140 trails to completion, countless court trials, binding and non-binding arbitrations, cases tried in Sonoma, Marin, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, emphasis on defense of civil lawsuites. Service as a judge pro tem for the San Mateo courts and as a judicial arbitrator. AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Volunteer activities include service as editor of The Docket, the San Mateo County Bar magazine. Recipient of the Nagle Award for service to the bar in 2004. Comments: Devote resources gained tgrough the decades to discover the DNA of a case and reach a just reusult. |